December 31 left as a working day: production calendar for 2025
On December 12, the State Duma considered a bill to recognize December 31 as a non-working day. As a result of the first reading, the proposal was rejected, which means that the last day of December will remain a working day. In 2024, the New Year holidays will start earlier than usual - December 29 - and will last 11 days. Read more about why it was decided to keep the pre-holiday day as a working day and how the weekend and holidays will be distributed in 2025 - in the material "Izvestia".
Why December 31 was left a working day
On Thursday, December 12, the State Duma held the first reading of the bill to include December 31 in the list of non-working days. The initiative was put forward by LDPR deputies in 2020. The bill proposed to make adjustments to the 112th article of the Russian Labor Code (Federal Law №197 of 30.12.2001), namely - to replace the day off on January 8 with December 31.
As justification, deputies in the explanatory note indicated that often on December 31 "labor functions are not performed in full". The efficiency of work is reduced, family people have to hurriedly prepare for the celebration of the New Year, so it would be advisable to free December 31 for household chores.
However, deputies rejected the bill. According to Svetlana Bessarab, a member of the State Duma Committee on Labor, Social Policy and Veterans Affairs, the government tries to make December 31 a non-working day every year when drawing up the production schedule. In this regard, there is no urgent need to adjust the list of holidays at the moment.
"At the first stage rejected because of the negative feedback from the government. At the same time, the Government always tries to put December 31 as a non-working day, making the appropriate substitution," - said Svetlana Bessarab in a conversation with Lenta.ru.
The deputy also noted that by adding December 31 to the list of vacations New Year's vacations will end on January 7, and many Russians spend a sleepless night waiting for Christmas. With the postponement, they will have no opportunity to sleep on January 8, as they will have to go to work. Svetlana Bessarab added that the rejection of the bill in the first reading is not final. Deputies will consider the initiative three more times before making a final decision.
When else December 31 will be a working day
This year's New Year's weekend will begin for working Russians on Sunday, December 29, and will end on Wednesday, January 8. At the same time, December 31 falls on Tuesday, and, like Monday, it will be a non-working day in 2024. In order not to break the holiday weekend, Russians in 2024 will have to work a six-day week, as Saturday, December 28, will be the last working day.
In 2025, New Year's holidays will begin on Wednesday, December 31. This day has been declared a non-working day by government decree. In 2026, according to the tentative schedule, December 31 will be a reduced working day because it falls on a Thursday. In 2027, the last day of preparation for New Year's Eve falls on a Friday, so it may be included in the New Year's holidays. Right now, based on the production calendar data, December 31, 2027 is a reduced workday.
Schedule of weekends and holidays for 2025
In the fall of this year, the government finally approved the schedule of working days, weekends and holidays in 2025. According to the document (the Russian government decree №1335 from 4.10.2024 "On the transfer of days off in 2025"), Russians next year will work 247 days, and rest - 118.
According to the production calendar, the New Year holidays will last until January 8. It will be necessary to go to work only on January 9, 2025. The holidays on January 4 and 5, falling on calendar weekends - Saturday and Sunday - will be moved to May 2 and December 31.
The next long vacation will come for Russians only in May. Since Fatherland Defender's Day, February 23, falls on a Sunday in 2025, it was decided to move the day off to May 8. International Women's Day also falls on a calendar day off - Saturday. It was also postponed, but already on June 13.
Thanks to these changes, the May holidays in 2025 will be held in two periods: from May 1 to 4 and from May 8 to 11. A similar situation occurred with the holidays established in honor of Russia Day. Due to the postponement, Russians in June will rest from the 12th to the 15th day.
In November, on the occasion of People's Unity Day, there will be two days off - on the 3rd and 4th. However, before the long weekend Russians will have to work six days instead of the usual five, because Saturday, November 1, will be a working day.
The last holiday weekend in 2025 will come on December 31. From that day, the New Year vacations will begin, which will traditionally end in the first half of the next year, 2026.
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